16 Santa Ana teens named Simon Scholars

Sixteen Santa Ana high school juniors have been named Simon Scholars, an honor that includes a $16,000 scholarship, along with academic support and other resources to help each on the path to college.

The students were chosen by the San Clemente-based Simon Family Foundation, which selects 16 students from the district for the award each year based on academic achievement, financial need, and because they are working to overcome obstacles to their education.

This year's batch of recipients includes students who came from broken homes, battled extreme poverty and overcame physical ailments. Most will be the first in their families to attend college. Some will be the first to graduate from high school.

They include Julio Rodriguez, a 16-year-old honors student from Segerstrom High, who suffers from cerebral palsy. Rodriguez has refused to rely on crutches or a wheelchair and is training to run a half marathon.

“I am going to do something great with this honor,” said Rodriguez , who was raised with his three siblings by his single mom.

“Winning this scholarship means I now have a ticket to college,” he said. “It shows me that if I work hard and stay positive, I can do anything.”

He hopes to attend UC San Diego to study psychology or criminal justice. He plans on researching criminal behavior and eventually working with at-risk youth.

“This year's group from Santa Ana is filled with such amazing students,” said Megan Barnes, Simon Foundation program director. “They come from very difficult backgrounds. But none want pity. They just want an opportunity.”

Since 2003, the Simon Family Foundation has awarded nearly 300 scholarships to students in Santa Ana and Garden Grove. Sixteen juniors in Garden Grove Unified School District were named Simon Scholars in May. The program has also expanded to San Diego County and Atlanta, Ga.

Newport Beach entrepreneur Ronald Simon, who made his money constructing and selling kitchen cabinets, founded the program to help families like those of his factory workers, many of whom were from Santa Ana.

Through the program, students receive the $16,000 scholarship when they reach college. In addition, they get two $1,000 stipends while in high school. They also receive a laptop, SAT preparation courses, college application assistance, college campus tours, academic tutoring, mentoring and potential internship opportunities. The total contribution to each student is worth about $30,000.

Simon Scholars have gone on to such colleges as Stanford, UC Berkeley, USC, Chapman, as well as Ivy League schools such as Harvard and Columbia.

Simon's daughter, Kathy Simon Abel, now runs the foundation and serves as its president.

“We not only want to give them financial support, we're trying to help them with academic support, and like skills and training,” she said.

Sixteen-year-old recipient Jesse Escalante, from Saddleback High, said he plans to attend UC Berkeley. He hopes to become a social worker and novelist. Escalante grew up with parents who constantly battled drug addiction.

“Before winning this scholarship, college was a big ‘if.' Now college feels like something real,” he said.

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